From Kalyan to UAE, Tushar Deshpande gears up for IPL 2020

Delhi Capitals's Tushar Deshpande does some shadow bowling practice at his hotel room in the city on Saturday

Pacer Tushar Deshpande, who is on the verge of becoming the first cricketer from Mumbai's neighbouring city of Kalyan in Thane District to feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL), cannot wait to begin his maiden journey with Delhi Capitals (DC) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) next month. The IPL will be held in the UAE from September 19 to November 10.

Excited and confident

"I can't tell you how excited I am. I have waited long for this opportunity. I'm confident I will be able to prove myself as I have worked really hard since March when the Coronavirus-caused lockdown began," Mumbai pacer Deshpande told mid-day prior to his departure for the UAE on Sunday.

Deshpande, 25, first appeared for DC's selection trials in 2017 and was picked by the franchise for R20 lakh at the player auction earlier this year. Having recovered from a hamstring injury recently, Deshpande explained his home workout schedule during the lockdown.

"I would begin the day with one-and-a-half hour of yoga, particularly pranayama. In the afternoons, I would spend most of the time in front of the mirror in my balcony doing shadow bowling practice. I would also bowl with a shortened run-up within my building premises. Evenings were spent doing strength training and conditioning routines at the small gym I have installed at home," said Deshpande, who has 50 first-class wickets from 20 matches on the domestic circuit.

Working on variations

Though the young pacer has worked on adding some variations to his bowling, he insisted that pace remains his priority. "I will never compromise on my pace because whatever little success I have achieved so far on the domestic scene, it is due to my pace. Fast bowling is my strength and I will always back it. I'm definitely trying to add a few deliveries to my armoury. Over the last month or so, I have particularly worked on bowling accurate yorkers and slower deliveries with wet balls because the dew factor could come into play in the UAE," said Deshpande, adding that playing alongside his Mumbai teammates Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane and Prithvi Shaw at DC will be an advantage.

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